Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction: Lessons from a mouse I. The Problem 1. The Burden of Obesity 2. Diseases of Excess Fat 3. Understanding Terms 4. Disorders of Excess Cholesterol and Triglycerides 5. Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome 6. Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes II. How Fat Works 7. The Energy Equation 8. Making and Storing Fat 9. Burning Fat in the Cell 10. Single Gene Disorders of Lipid Metabolism 11. Multifactorial Genetic Disorders of Lipid Metabolism III. Knowledge into Practice 12. Overcoming Genetics and Aging 13. Breaking the Insulin Cycle 14. Exercise to Burn Fat 15. Lipid-Lowering Drugs 16. Lessons IV. The Environment 17. Nutrient Labeling 18. Alternative Medicine and Fad Diets 19. Media Coverage of Health Research Glossary References Index
As the Surgeon General and FDA launch new campaigns against what they now consider the second most pressing public health concern after tobacco, Philip Wood provides a timely review of obesity and lipid disorders. Written for the educated layperson, medical student, clinician, or researcher, this book provides the reader with an excellent appreciation of the scientific background of fat and obesity. The authoritative science is presented in English that is easy to understand, providing a good deal of reputable information in a mostly non-technical format. -- Clifford Lo, M.D., Ph.D., Departments of Pediatrics and Nutrition, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health
Philip A. Wood is Professor, Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona.
As the Surgeon General and FDA launch new campaigns against what
they now consider the second most pressing public health concern
after tobacco, Philip Wood provides a timely review of obesity and
lipid disorders. Written for the educated layperson, medical
student, clinician, or researcher, this book provides the reader
with an excellent appreciation of the scientific background of fat
and obesity. The authoritative science is presented in English that
is easy to understand, providing a good deal of reputable
information in a mostly non-technical format. -- Clifford Lo, M.D.,
Ph.D., Departments of Pediatrics and Nutrition, Harvard Medical
School and Harvard School of Public Health
The obesity epidemic striking industrialized nations has led to a
renewed research focus on the physiological causes and effects of
excess fat in the body. Scientists are striving to understand how
fat is metabolized and how excess fat leads to diseases such as
diabetes. Wood, a metabolic geneticist at the University of Alabama
at Birmingham, outlines his and others' recent findings on such
topics. * Science News *
In How Fat Works, Philip Wood offers both professional and
lay readers an excellent, nontechnical introduction to both the
normal and the pathological physiology of fat metabolism...Amidst
the ongoing debates over weight-loss regimes and how to formulate
healthy diets for individuals, How Fat Works appears at an
ideal moment. Wood writes in a clear and concise style, and he has
produced an easy-to-understand overview of fat metabolism and its
connections to human health. His account successfully blends
results from genetic, physiologic, social, and environmental
approaches to the topic. The book will help readers from any of
those fields and the general public better appreciate the
connections among high-fat diets, obesity, and diabetes. -- James
M. Ntambi * Science *
How Fat Works is a saunter through the topic of fat. Philip
Wood explores obesity and the diseases to which it predisposes; he
describes the structure, function, and metabolism of fat; and he
analyses some popular diets and their mode of action. Wood is an
excellent communicator, his text refreshingly conversational and
free of jargon without ever being simplistic or patronizing. This
high readability factor makes the book easy to digest for rusty
medics brushing up their knowledge and laypeople alike. The most
fascinating chapters are the ones that cock a skeptical eyebrow at
the sacred cow of the high carb, low fat regime. Endorsed for
decades by health organizations, Wood presents compelling early
evidence that this diet raises blood triglycerides far more than an
isocaloric diet high in fats and low in carbs--the ultimate
schadenfreude for oil aficionados who have for decades endured the
self-righteous tutting of the pious and self-denying no-fat
brigade. -- Leyla Sanai * The Lancet *
[Wood's] book is an excellent summary of the state of knowledge and
research on how fat metabolism is regulated. Although intended
primarily for the health care professional, it's lucid enough to be
read with profit by an interested layperson...It's well-worth
buying and reading carefully if only to be on guard against the
charlatans of the obesity industry. -- Rony V. Diaz * Manila Times
*
This timely book raises many key issues in the field of obesity and
lipid metabolism and will be useful to supplement courses for
medical and graduate students. A strength of the book is that it
connects the basic biochemistry and molecular biology of lipid
metabolism to the clinical situation...The book will be a good
catalyst for generating discussions of the controversial issues in
the field. It also provides the reader with an understanding of the
breadth of new knowledge that will be necessary in order to attack
the obesity epidemic. -- Susan K. Fried * Journal of Clinical
Investigation *
In How Fat Works, Philip A. Wood draws on his extensive
knowledge of fatty acid metabolism to give an admirable insight
into how genes, diet and exercise impact on fatty acid oxidation
and synthesis, and how these processes affect us. Wood has
conducted most of his own research using gene knockout models in
mice: he begins with a concise summary of what we have learnt about
fat metabolism by using this method, and by studying genetic
disorders of obesity...Even when describing difficult biological
concepts, Wood retains a lightness of touch and uses creative
analogies...This is a fascinating and ambitious book, well divided
into manageable chunks. It deals with an exciting and dynamic area,
and it includes much cutting-edge research...The outstanding
strength of this book is undoubtedly Wood's ability to describe
complex metabolic processes in readable English. It will therefore
be enjoyed by students, health professionals, scientists, and lay
readers--all of whom may now think just a little harder before
choosing what, and how much, to eat for lunch. -- Susan Carnell *
Times Higher Education Supplement *
Although the target audience is primarily American medical and
nursing graduate students, any one interested in the general topic
of nutrition would find something of relevance...Altogether, well
worth reading; you might even pick up some advice to improve your
own health! -- Ian Lancaster * Biologist *
Although the target audience is primarily American medical and
nursing graduate students, any one interested in the general topic
of nutrition would find something of relevance...Altogether, well
worth reading; you might even pick up some advice to improve your
own health! -- Ian Lancaster * Biologist *
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